Five years ago, the site predicted that Miley -- then mostly performing as Hannah Montana -- would be "drained dry of entertainment value by 2013" thanks to her "overuse" in pop culture.

Dr. Justin Canty, an entertainment scientist from the Institute for Sustainable Cyrus Use, cited former child stars Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan to illustrate what could happen to Miley.

But the repurcussions could be far more grave than a public meltdown or a few trips to rehab.

"Society as we know it will fail to function, governments will collapse, humanity as we know it will be reduced to roving tribes of barbarians constantly searching and fighting and scouring the landscape for the last remaining Hannah Montana fashion doll or "The Best of Both Worlds" CD," Canty said.

I watched and cringed -- along with many others, if my Twitter and Facebook feeds are any indication -- as Miley Cyrus writhed and stripped and defiled an oversized foam finger on the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night.